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India's tour of England -- an assessment

Text: Haresh Pandya

India has returned from England, with its first Test series win in that country in over two decades.

We could have won the subsequent seven-match one-day series as well -- it was a close run contest, and two bad umpiring decisions in what proved to be the virtual final didn’t help the team cause.

All of a sudden, everything seems to be fine with Team India. Even the specter of the World Cup debacle, which has haunted players and fans alike, is officially buried.

What we have conveniently forgotten in the excitement of our conquest of the Englishmen on their own soil is how the result of the Test series could have been different but for the element of luck that Team India enjoyed when it was needed the most.

Image: Rahul Dravid holds the Pataudi trophy as the Indian team celebrates winning the Test series against England with former captain Tiger Pataudi (bottom right) at the Oval in London on August 13, 2007.